Jameis Winston's coach doesn't expect a suspension for the Florida State QB

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher doesn't think the results of a school code of conduct hearing on sexual assault allegations against quarterback Jameis Winston will result in expulsion or suspension for the sophomore Heisman Trophy winner.

Fisher's reason: "I know the facts of the case," he said Monday during his weekly news conference at the Moore Center. "The facts haven't changed in the case. We know the state attorney's report. We know everything that's out there. There's nothing new."

Charges were not brought against Winston for the Dec. 7, 2012, incident involving a female FSU student but in August, after the U.S. Department of Education decided to launch a probe into the University's handling of the case in regards to Title IX sexual harassment and discrimination guidelines (it has pending investigations at more than four dozen schools nationwide) the school began the code of conduct process.

Winston will attend an informational hearing later this week in which one of three retired Florida Supreme Court justices will be picked to hear the case.

It is not yet known when the actual hearing will be held. School officials have declined comment, citing student privacy.

As for the code of conduct hearing, Fisher was asked on Monday: "Beyond Notre Dame on Saturday what level of concern do you have he Winston will be on the field."

Fisher replied, "None."

When it was pointed out to Fisher that Winston can face a suspension or be kicked out of school after a hearing that requires a lower preponderance of evidence than a court of law, Fisher said that would only happen, "based on the facts, not opinion."

Fisher said that recent stories by The New York Times and Fox Sports did not uncover anything new.

"Everyone acts like information in recent stories is earth-shattering but the facts of the case haven't changed," Fisher said. "We've been through this."

In contrast to past public statements in which Fisher defended his player but offered little in the way of how he felt personally, Monday's news conference took a different tone.

Fisher criticized the media as a whole and said the coverage in the past 11 months has done a disservice to Winston.

"When I see stories written that don't have all the facts, that paint them towards their side of public opinion … this country is based on being innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent," Fisher said. "We're convicting a guy over things that are not true."

Fisher said the media's coverage of the Winston saga has the potential to affect the quarterback's future.

"We need to be more responsible in our reporting and our opinion and base it on the facts and not write articles that are half-true or not all the way true and put things out there … before we ruin someone's career," he said. "Base it on facts, not on everyone's opinion or what they think it is."

Fisher said Winston continues to ignore the distractions and play at a high level despite heightened coverage of the incident -- including a New York Times report claiming the Tallahassee Police Department shows lenient treatment of FSU football players who have brushes with the law.

"I think it's exactly the opposite," Fisher said.

Despite Fisher's finger-pointing at the media, he doesn't believe that the team's drop in both major polls from No. 1 to No. 2 behind Mississippi State has anything to do with a backlash against the school or Winston.

"No, not at all … why should it?" he said. "Mississippi State has three top-10 wins and has an excellent team. All of those things will wash themselves out as the season goes on. If we go win against Notre Dame, that puts us back up there again."

Fisher said the polls are the least of his concerns.

"I don't even think about polls," he said, which has been his usual stance since coming to FSU. "We do what we do and win games, and the polls will take care of themselves."